As I wrote the other day I feel like we are back in the summer wondering how someone out of Blake Comeau, Sean Bergenheim or Jeff Tambellini could play on a fourth line and be effective if Jon Sim is not in that spot?

We did our poll back then, huge response where everyone seemed to go all over the board as to who will in effect be the odd man out on a fourth line, regardless of how we speculate how much that line could play.

I know Comeau was the odd man out based on Mr Botta's reporting yesterday at least in practice but I think it underscores the inproved depth and the options this coach has which is a good thing. We are going to be doing the same thing down the middle as long as Bailey or Nielsen play in this clubs's top nine.

Bottom line a new coach is here and many of these players have to prove themselves all over again to a new coach.

I'm mildly surprised both Hillen and Pock made the roster. Hillen to my understanding can go to Bridgeport without waivers, Pock again would have to go through waivers as we saw in Freddy Meyers travels last fall. I guess the smart money says Pock takes a seat next to Skinner but only Scott Gordon knows how that plays out to start the season.

Frankly I would be shocked if the defense was healthy all the way up to Sutton or Campoli's return, that's just not this groups history.

For all I know Berard's agent and Garth Snow may work something out where he signs a two way contract and returns and Skinner is sent back to Bridgeport.

I have a good question no one seems able to answer so I stopped by Mr Fornabaio's blog and posted it there.

I would like to know how come Josh Bailey born in late 1989 can only play for Windsor or New York (as we saw with Tim Connolly/Rick DiPietro long ago) while Nikita Filatov who was born in 1990 has seems to have an option to play in the AHL and be recalled which seems to be Columbus preference depending on what you read.

The Columbus Dispatch excellent reporter Tom Reed (among several) tries to explain back on 10/3 and cites the transfer issue and the IIHF here with regard to Canadian Junior league rules but in this rare exception it seems the lack of an agreement gives the Blue Jackets in this instance an advantage to recall Filatov?

I'm not sure, if Mr Fornabaio answers my entry, I will post it here but it's a question I wanted to put out and see if someone knows a bit more?

Faux basically has it right. As I understand it, the agreement between the Junior leagues and the NHL controls where a player can play. That's the set of rules we're familiar with. Because there has been no agreement between the KHL and the Junior teams, Filatov and others haven't become "property" of any junior team, therefore they can't be sent to Juniors, and fall under the same rules as any other player who has no junior eligibility left. I expect, however, that the junior teams will be seeking permission for these guys to play in Canada from the Russians, and his stay in Syracuse will be short lived. Then he'll go back to the same rules as Bailey.

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